The struggle of the reborn prince

Listening to Zhang Que's introduction, Gao Chong and Zhao Li secretly lamented that fortune and misfortune are unpredictable. Although the heavy snow delayed their trip and caused considerable losses to personnel and supplies, they also escaped the ambush of the Western Liao Army .They knew that although the cavalry-based Western Expeditionary Army was equipped with advanced firearms, it was still limited by the terrain in the mountains and it was difficult to exert its full combat power.However, the weapons and equipment of the Western Liao Army were backward, but they occupied the right time, the right location, and the harmony of people, and they did their calculations intentionally and unintentionally. Therefore, even if the Western Expeditionary Army had an advantage in weapons, they would inevitably suffer heavy losses.

It was precisely the arrival of the blizzard that made the Xiliao army believe based on past experience that the Song army would not be able to successfully cross the Altai Mountains, and would even retreat halfway, and return would have to wait for the ice and snow to melt in May next year, which might reproduce their situation. The second time, the Eastern Expedition died halfway due to insufficient grass.Based on the above judgments, the Western Liao Army withdrew its troops and returned to the country, making this area a demilitarized zone without soldiers stationed, allowing the Western Expeditionary Army to take advantage of the loopholes and escaped when they were weakest.

"I can easily enter Gaochang. It can only be said that God blesses me. Although I have suffered a lot on the road, I have avoided the danger of annihilation of the whole army!" Gao Chong sighed. Expedition also requires a lot of determination. If the failure of this Western Expedition is too heavy, the ruling and opposition parties will definitely oppose another Western Expedition.Even with the strength of the emperor, he had to compromise for the time being and take a long-term view, thus losing the good opportunity to subdue the various forces in Mobei and conquer Gaochang.

"That's right, after the peace talks with the Kingdom of Jin and the return of the former emperor, some people in the court thought that the century-old peace with the Khitan would be repeated, and that there was no need to spend huge sums of money to prepare troops for war, so they all made noises about cultivating literature and abandoning military affairs. Reduce military expenses. If the Western Expedition is defeated this time, one can imagine the pressure His Majesty will be under. In order to calm public opinion, I am afraid that I will have to put on a show!" Zhang Que sighed, the luck of the Western Expedition Army is also the emperor's luck.It can also be said that they, the emperor's confidantes, are lucky.

"After His Majesty ascended the throne, although all the ministers in the court supported the emperor's military preparations to conquer Jurchen, they were mainly based on the reality of Jurchen's invasion of our Great Song Dynasty. They just felt that the capital city was breached, and the second emperor was forced to hunt north. It is a great shame. In order to avenge the face of the great power of the Celestial Dynasty, and also to eliminate the threat of the Jin Kingdom to the Song Dynasty, we have to support the emperor and maintain a certain degree of tolerance for the improvement of the status of our warriors." Zhao Li said, "Now the Jin Kingdom is actively seeking peace. Putting the former emperor back, they feel that the threat has been eliminated and they can sit back and relax. They will repeat the old tune of ancestral family law and continue to implement the rule of law and military. Once successful, the next step is to gradually ask the emperor to give up power and increase the power of the prime minister, so as to achieve weakening The purpose of imperial power!"

"Well, the analysis of Brother Li's words is thorough! Some courtiers are short-sighted and only want to fight for power, but they don't know that there are still dangers around us in the Song Dynasty. Although Jurchen is declining, other tribes allow them to develop and expand. It won't take long. Becoming a new Jurchen, do you still want to repeat the disaster of Jingkang?" Gao Chong nodded and said, "The emperor is far-sighted, and he hopes to eliminate potential forces that may threaten the Song Dynasty through conquests and alliances. Lay the foundation for long-term peace and stability. If you reduce your armaments and blindly implement a soft policy, you will return to the old path of Jingsui before long, when those people find that Song Dynasty is just a tiger without minions. How can you keep your own place!"

"That's why the Western Expedition is a matter of state affairs, and it also concerns the status of our warriors. Therefore, we must win, and we must win a big victory!" Zhao Li clenched his fists and said.

"I'm a businessman who can't understand the two high-level remarks. War is also the business of the two generals. I just take the words with me. If the things are delivered, the task will be completed!" Zhang Que said impatiently, waving his hands. In fact, he understands that he cannot achieve his current status and wealth without the support of the emperor, and the emperor cannot do without everyone's help. They have already formed an unbreakable interest group, but he also understands that he cannot get involved in politics too much. Deep, otherwise I will live to the end, so I interrupted their topic.

"Hehe, I feel that I have gone too far for a while, don't blame shopkeeper Zhang!" Zhao Ligong cupped his hands and said with a smile, "We have been wandering in the mountains for more than two months, and the news has been cut off. Please give advice to shopkeeper Zhang!"

"Hehe, Brother Li, you are welcome!" Zhang Que also turned to the topic with a haha, "Our Shenghetang was ordered to raise food and salaries for the Western Expeditionary Army, and we set up bases in Xixia and Gaochang to prepare for the unexpected needs of the army. Last year in Gaochang The betrayal of the alliance caused the two countries to fight against each other, so they sent troops to prevent our Dasong caravan from passing through the border, so it was very difficult to transport and raise supplies. Based on this, we turned to consider that Xixia agreed to attack Gaochang with us at first, and used Xixia as a base for convenience and safety Mainly, the caravan could then enter Gaochang after they dispatched troops, but Li Ganshun, the lord of the Xixia Kingdom, changed his mind after accepting heavy bribes from Gaochang and has not fulfilled the contract, and the Western Liao Army deployed heavy troops in Gaochang to block the border, resulting in the severance of trade routes. export!"

"Treasurer Zhang, don't we have any savings in Gaochang?" Gao Chong asked anxiously after hearing this. Now that the Western Expeditionary Army urgently needs to replenish ammunition, they also hope that they can get replenished here. If they fail, they will be caught blind.

"Don't worry, handsome, I just said that Xixia is the main one, but I gave up Gaochang without saying anything." Zhang Que said, "Of course Shenghetang has its own channels in the Northwest for many years, and it won't be because they banned us. If there is no way to pass it, it just takes a lot of trouble.”

"Oh, how did shopkeeper Zhang escape Gaochang's obstruction and inspection?" Gao Chong asked curiously.

"As the saying goes, 'cats have cat roads, dogs have dog roads', although the Gaochang border is full of deserts and Gobi, it is not impossible to walk, they can only guard the main road, even if they know other routes, they are unable to stay on duty all day. We Xu used a lot of money to transport materials into Gaochang through some small caravans. In addition, there is not much land that can be cultivated in Gaochang, and the grain output is not high. It is very difficult to purchase locally, so we can only transfer them from outside. We bought them separately through foreign merchants. In their hands!"

"Oh, shopkeeper Zhang is really troublesome!" Gao Chong understood that they used smuggling to transport the military supplies into Gaochang, and the grain was brought in with the help of merchants from other countries. Of course, the price was much higher.

"Shopkeeper Zhang, I don't know where the supplies are hoarded. Now our army urgently needs to replenish them!" Zhao Li asked.

"Hmph, of course we won't be stored in a big city, it's easy to attract attention, and we will be requisitioned during the war, so we can only be placed in the outskirts of the army passing by, otherwise, how could you collect them in such a tiny place? So much food!" Zhang Que rolled his eyes and snorted coldly.

"Ah... Could it be that the grain in Yanbo City is one of the hoarding points set up by the shopkeeper!" Gao Chong and Zhao Li looked at each other and asked in surprise.

"Of course, because the army came north, this is the only place where the army can rest after crossing the Altai Mountains. We stockpiled a lot of food here, but it was all in the hands of those merchants. Their supplies were forced by you. Zheng then rushed to me, and I knew that the army had escaped here, so I hurried over!" Zhang Que said that he had collected a large amount of grain and grass, and if they were placed in one place, they would inevitably arouse suspicion, so they were distributed to various merchants. I didn't expect the Western Expeditionary Army to buy it here.

"This...we really don't know that shopkeeper Zhang owns this, otherwise we wouldn't have acted like this!" Zhao Li hastily apologized.

"This was originally prepared for you. You can take it as soon as you take it. Anyway, it didn't fall into the hands of others. It's just that those merchants are cheaper and let them charge a double share, and you have to work hard to get it back!" Zhang Que said with a wry smile. .

"Haha... It's okay for shopkeeper Zhang, we also got the money from the Naiman people, and didn't use the money from the public!" Gao Chong laughed loudly after hearing this.

"That's what I said, but that's two to three million guan. It hurts to think about it, and I have to get it back no matter what!" Zhang Que couldn't accept Gao Chong's statement, and he was determined to get it back.

"Shopkeeper Zhang, almost all the savings here are in our hands, but they are not enough to support our westward expedition for a month. Are there any usable things nearby?" How much material can be provided to them, 20 shi seems to be a lot, but there are so many of them, and there are still a large number of war horses to feed, on average, it is not much.

"I also came here for this purpose. Although there are some nearby, most of them are ammunition and equipment, and there is not much food and grass. Therefore, we must go south to Beiting as soon as possible to solve the problem of insufficient supplies!" Zhang Que said seriously. At the beginning, it only took a month for the Western Expeditionary Army to arrive here at most, and there should be a lot of reserves in their hands. After a little supplement here, they can be used for support, but a lot of time was wasted on the way, which led to increased supply pressure and hoarded supplies. Supplies are insufficient.

"Treasurer Zhang, how is the fortification of the North Court?" Gao Chong nodded and asked again, but he was a little relieved when he learned that there were ammunition nearby, at least he didn't have to fight the enemy with a fire stick.

"Bei Ting is the capital of summer. Every year its lord escapes the summer heat there, and when the weather turns cold, he returns to Gaochang for the winter. Now Bi Lege has already returned, and they thought our army would not be able to cross the Altai Mountains, so only a small number of troops remained Soldiers are guarding the city, but the fortification is not tight. I am just worried that Xiliao is very close here, and I will definitely send troops to stop it when I hear the news!" Zhang Que said.

"As long as there are bullets in our guns and food in our stomachs, why should our [-] troops be afraid of Xiliao? The Jurchens could beat them away from here, and the Jurchens have never taken advantage of us. I'm afraid They are not as powerful as the Jurchens!" Gao Chong said with pride.

"Since Xiliao wants to wade through this muddy water, why don't we divide our troops into two groups, taking Beiting all the way and rejecting Xiliao all the way!" Zhao Liyan said... (to be continued...)